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Dagupan City plans to convert garbage to electricity

DAGUPAN CITY, Oct. 24 (PIA) – If the plan works, Dagupan City can lick its garbage problems and earn from it.

The city government plans to turn its tons of garbage into electricity and earn from it by selling the power generated to the Luzon grid.

Mayor Belen Fernandez said a facility that is capable of converting garbage into electricity is part of her long-term solution to the city's garbage problem.

Officials of the fourth district of Pangasinan through Rep. Gina de Venecia have started discussing with private firm Procter and Gamble Philippines to install the P160 million-facility.

The City Information Office said Procter and Gamble will build the facility at no cost provided the local government sets aside up to three hectare-lot where the plant will be built.

The facility also needs 250 metric tons of daily garbage for conversion to electricity.

Mangaldan Mayor Bona Parayno has volunteered to host the plant and asked Dagupan and neighboring towns to deliver the volume of garbage that the plant needs to produce power.

Dagupan City alone produces more than 150 metric tons of garbage daily while Mangaldan generates 100 metric tons of garbage.

Officials said the garbage volume can be converted to up to five megawatts of power which can be sold to the Luzon Grid.

Fernandez said the short term solution involves setting aside P6 million to be used in building four Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) which can be used by barangays that are clustered.

Fernandez said the city aid of P100,000 for each barangay (or P3.1 million for 31 villages) can be pooled to buy garbage-collecting vehicles which come in the form of a motorcycle with a garong (receptacle) mounted.

Pangasinan's fourth district is composed of the towns of Mangaldan, Manaoag, San Jacinto, San Fabian and the city of Dagupan. (MCA/VHS PIA1-Pangasinan)

S & T Trivia

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